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Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Pandemics , Brain Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Brain Diseases/virology , Magnetic Resonance ImagingSubject(s)
COVID-19/physiopathology , Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome/virology , Azithromycin/therapeutic use , COVID-19/diagnosis , Cefuroxime/therapeutic use , Confusion/virology , Dyspnea/virology , Humans , Hydroxychloroquine/therapeutic use , Male , Middle Aged , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , Tomography , COVID-19 Drug TreatmentABSTRACT
PURPOSE: An intensive therapeutic strategy for metastatic medulloblastoma was launched in 1998 in our Institution. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term quality of life (QoL) in survivor patients at least 3 years after the end of the treatment. METHODS: Patients were asked to complete self-administered QoL questionnaires. An index of physical impairment (IPI) was scored (range 0-100; the lower the score the better) based on clinical objective observations. Patients were divided into two groups (lower IPI group, and higher IPI group) and descriptively compared accordingly. RESULTS: The study was completed by 25/33 eligible patients. Despite patients with a higher IPI reported worse perceived health condition, they had better emotional and psychological scores than those with a lower IPI in all QoL questionnaires. CONCLUSION: In our sample, patients with more severe objective and perceived physical impairments reported a better psychosocial QoL, possibly because the greater attention paid to them by society and family contributes to a better adjustment in long-term survivors. On this base, it should be recommended that all survivors receive a strong support as the most impaired patients.
Subject(s)
Cerebellar Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Medulloblastoma/radiotherapy , Radiotherapy/adverse effects , Survivors/psychology , Adolescent , Child , Dose Fractionation, Radiation , Female , Humans , Male , Quality of Life , Radiotherapy/methods , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCT) carry an excellent prognosis, and the treatment aims to achieve results with the least possible treatment-related morbidity. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of pediatric patients with MOGCT. METHODS: Patients were treated according to their stage: surgery and surveillance for stage I; a modified bleomycin-etoposide-cisplatin (BEP) regimen for stages II (three cycles), III, and IV (three cycles) with surgery on residual disease. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients were enrolled (median age 11.8 years), 26 with dysgerminoma (Dysg), 13 with immature teratoma and elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein levels (IT + AFP), and 38 with nondysgeminoma (Non-Dysg) staged as follows: 27 stage I, 13 stage II, 32 stage III, 5 stage IV. Among evaluable patients in stage I (5-year event-free survival [EFS] 72.1% [95% CI: 56.4-92.1%]; 5-year overall survival [OS] 100%), seven relapsed (three patients with Dysg and four patients with Non-Dysg) and were rescued with chemotherapy (plus surgery in three patients). Among the evaluable patients with stages II-IV, 48 (98%) achieved complete remission after chemotherapy ± surgery, one (IT + AFP, stage IV) had progressive disease. In the whole series (median follow-up 80 months), the 5-year OS and EFS were 98.5% (95% CI: 95.6-100%) and 84.5% (95% CI: 76.5-93.5%). CONCLUSIONS: We confirm the excellent outcome for MOGCT. Robust data are lacking on surgical staging, surveillance for Non-Dysg with stage I, the management of IT + AFP, and the most appropriate BEP regimen. As pediatric oncologists, we support the role of surveillance after proper surgical staging providing cases are managed by experts at specialized pediatric centers.